Episode 310: A Dark Road
A Dark Road is the tenth episode of the third season and the thirty-eighth episode overall. Notes * Clients: Calia * Bad Guys: Ryan Johnson, Connor Johnson, Mason Gilroy Synopsis Michael and Fiona help a widow evade violent con men, a job that finds Michael turning to Madeline for assistance. Elsewhere, a contact seeks to gain Michael's attention through extreme measures. Tyne Daly guest stars. Spy Facts Doing your own field medicine has its advantages. No conversations with the police, the food's better, and the relationship between patient and care giver is very close. Of course that last one can be a disadvantage as well. Getting information out of hotels requires a delicate touch. One whiff that you're snooping, and you'll just hear a lot of "we can't give out that information". You need to get them on your side. Convince them you are someone that needs customer service. Of course, when a hotel clerk turns out to be expecting you, that makes things a little easier. In the world of espionage, there are a lot of ways to introduce yourself. You can use official channels, you can use a cover ID, you can use encrypted communication. Whatever the method, that first contact tells you a lot about a person. Especially when someone introduces himself by fire-bombing a hotel room. The day the cell phone call log was invented should be celebrated as a national holiday for spies. Even a cautious cell phone user who uses dial-back systems or switches phones often leaves behind a lot of information you could use. Human intelligence can often be collected with a cover identity. There are times, though, when a cover I.D. has more to do with who you are, than how you act. Working an intelligence asset is part acting, part strategy. Some people don't have the talent, and some people do. Precision driving is part of the standard training for an operative. It's mainly used when pursuing or being pursued. But on occasion, it's a great way to make an impression. Criminals deal with a shortage of skilled labor just like all businesses do. They can't give too much information to new hires, of course. But they also can't pass up real talent. Family businesses are tough. They're even tougher for criminals. Mix normal family issues with cash, violence, and the danger of getting arrested, and things get tense. Anybody who works around acetylene knows to be extra careful. It's one of the hottest burning, most explosive gases in existence. For a covert operative, there's often a fine line between hunter and hunted. Letting someone hunt you is just another way of finding out more about them. Of course, there's also a fine line between following up intelligence, and walking into a trap. The best place for a bug is on something people keep with them. Many car remotes these days have enough space inside to hide a small bug, not to mention a battery to power the transmitter. It's a quick, efficient, low-risk operation that costs as much as you care to tip a valet. When you work under a cover, whether you're a cop, a D.E.A agent or a spy, you're getting into business with the bad guys. Your job is to stay in control of that business. The problem is criminals are unpredictable. Sometimes they take your ideas and resources and hurt innocent people. It's every undercover agent's worst nightmare. Which is why you do whatever it takes to make sure that doesn't happen. Boxing in a large vehicle and forcing it into a crash takes a coordinated group effort. It's a little like flying planes in formation, if one of the planes is trying to get away. Very difficult and very, very dangerous. The good news is that when a plan requires clockwork timing and precise movements, it doesn't take much to ruin that position. Do it right and you can avoid sending anybody to the morgue. You may bruise a few egos though. When you're blackmailing someone, you have to be cruel to be kind. Show any sympathy for your target, and you only make it worse. You have to be the bad guy. Let them feel they have no choice. it's easier that way. Easier for them anyway. A push bar is a hardened steel frame attached to the front of a car. It's usually used by cops. But it's useful for anyone who's planning on being in a high-speed collision. There's a tunnel vision that people develop in a fight. They focus on their enemy, oblivious to everything else. The angrier they get, the more intense their focus. There comes a point where the adrenaline is so intense, you could land a jet behind them and they wouldn't notice. Full Recap In the previous episode, Michael's CIA contact person, Diego Garza, is killed and Michael is left without information. The episode starts with Michael fixing the stitches on Fiona's arm, which she has already ripped out twice. She attempts to hit Michael while he tends to her. She is eventually successful in punching him in the face. Michael talks with Sam in the kitchen about possible people that could have pushed Diego off of the balcony ledge. Michael attempts to subtly obtain information from the hotel clerk in which Diego was staying at. However, the hotel clerk automatically recognizes Michael and gives him a note from the gunman. He is confused as to how she was able to recognize him and she explains that his profile was given. Inside the note is a room number. When he finds the room, he is greeted with the site of a burning room. Michael returns to the loft where he talks with Sam and Fiona about his findings. The room was registered under the name of a British scientist who had died in a burning room in 1999. Fiona then asks Michael to do a favor for her since she is unable to do so "in her state." Michael agrees to meet with the widow. Cast Main *Jeffrey Donovan as Michael Westen *Gabrielle Anwar as Fiona Glenanne *Bruce Campbell as Sam Axe *Sharon Gless as Madeline Westen Recurring * Chris Vance as Mason Gilroy Guest * Natalia Baron as Calia * Clayne Crawford as Ryan Johnson * Jude Ciccolella as Connor Johnson * Tyne Daly as Tina * Eric Weida as Tony Lara Trivia *Both Sharon Gless (Madeline) and Tyne Daly (Tina) previously starred together in the eighties TV show "Cagney and Lacey." Continuity Errors 310 Category:Season 3 Category:Recaps not included yet